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WHO bulletin article on the UN Assembly meeting acknowledges the contribution of Chennai declaration

WHO bulletin published an article in relation to the UN meeting. The article has acknowledged contribution of Chennai declaration to the tackling antibiotics resistance issue.

Various initiatives including “Chennai declaration of Indian medical societies” have played significant role in mobilising international scientific and political community and to take the issue up to UN meeting.

Super bugs and the social responsibility

Coordinator of Chennai declaration writes in the Longitude prize blog on the access and excess paradox of antibiotics

“India is the largest antibiotic consumer in the world and at the same time has high antibiotic resistance. The statement seems self-explanatory and straightforward: if we use antibiotics too frequently, the resistance rate will be invariably high. Tackling the antimicrobial resistance crisis could have been a lot simpler if the equation was as linear as this. Unfortunately, the scenario is complicated by the lack of access to antibiotics by a sizeable proportion of the population in India………..

The UK Government needs to provide support to WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Organisation for Animal Health in their role of providing coordination and international leadership to give higher priority to this growing global threat. This effort particularly needs to support local initiatives around the world such as the Chennai Declaration5 where, for the first time, medical societies in India came together to discuss the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Given the population flows between the UK and India, it can be seen that such initiatives can have a direct influence on UK health.

The Chennai Declaration is a landmark step towards combating the spread of antimicrobial resistance in India and worldwide. To control worldwide antimicrobial resistance, health communities worldwide should encourage the endorsement of these recommendations by the Indian Health goals over the next five years.

H. Holmes and M. Sharland write in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy“The paper represents an extraordinary example of national commitment from a country that recognizes the clinical and public health issues of antimicrobial resistance.Through the publication of this declaration and action plan, India is providing assurance of national action and a clear demonstration that the country is facing up to this growing national threat, both authoritatively and responsibly. It is particularly noteworthy that the declaration comes from a diverse mix of medical societies, not just those from infectious diseases and microbiology specialities and a broad range of national authorities. The declaration therefore represents a strong collaborative voice and the authors, medical societies and national bodies are to be commended for their coordinated commitment and the production of their consensus recommendations. It now needs to be considered what incentives are necessary for sustainability and how other countries can provide positive reinforcement and tangible support for such an important national initiative.

“The Chennai Declaration” is a not a policy by itself, but a call for a national policy. The Declaration has looked into all major aspects of the problem, has suggested practical solutions, explained in detail the responsibility of each and every stakeholder. The Declaration is an outcry for action by the medical community and the authorities, not another publication on antimicrobial resistance waiting to get shelved!

Mike Mitcha quotes Stuart B. Levy saying the declaration is a promising development. “What they want to do is noble,If they accomplish even a portion of it, it will reduce the power of selection for resistance.”

If recommendations are followed, the Chennai declaration could become the backbone of a national policy. The recent advertisement by the Ministry of Health for rational antibiotic prescription—a result of the Chennai meeting—will hopefully mark the beginning of a shift in the attitude of the medical community and authorities towards tackling antimicrobial resistance in India I would urge the Indian authorities to formulate a policy incorporating the Chennai declaration recommendations, because this declaration provides a solution for India to beat the resistance threat, and to join the global fi ght against resistance. I wish all the best to the Indian medical community and Indian authorities in initiating such a historical effort.

says-
Ghafur urges us to behave like microbes and “unite or perish”. He calls for global, cross-border action and describes efforts in India to tackle the now very serious threat of gram-negative resistance by bringing together members from across the medical, political, industrial and community divide to create the Chennai Declaration.

We need to move beyond national boundaries to tackle antimicrobial resistance explains Dr Ghafur, co-ordinator, Chennai Declaration in his review in Medical journal of Australia-Microorganisms teach us a very basic and important lesson: unite or perish! Unless we initiate a global and united effort to tackle the issue of multi resistance in microorganisms, they will have the final victory. Microbes are global citizens; their spread across the earth not being restricted by the national boundaries or national flags. If we intend to challenge microbes and tackle the situation, we have to pursue the behaviour and tactics of bugs, by becoming global citizens and thinking beyond national boundaries

Co-ordinator ,Chennai Declaration quotes in Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance.Not knowing the number of existing medical societies, or how they will respond to a call, not knowing how sincerely they will participate, perhaps with veiled opposition and not knowing all the stakeholders; even imagining a call to action was a challenge.

“The ‘Roadmap Meeting’ and the ‘Chennai Declaration’ had the charm of an Indian wedding, with relatives and family friends from all four corners of the country, with informal blessing of the authorities, discussing stories on the Indian resistance crisis and searching for indigenous solutions. India needs an ‘implementable policy’ and not a ‘perfect policy’ was the slogan and the motto of the Declaration.

She appreciated the efforts and says -By spreading awareness to everyone, not just physicians, about antibiotic resistance and the need to use antibiotics appropriately to preserve their utility hopefully MDR infections will remain treatable.